Changing Neurologist

From 1991-1998, I was on 7 different types of seizure medication. (Phenobarbital, Tegretol, Diamox, Dilantin, Topamax, Lamictal and Depekote). Whether they were combined with another seizure medication or taken several times a day nothing seemed to stop the seizures from coming.  The seizures had been occurring more frequently, and the neurologist at CHOP thought there was nothing significantly wrong with me and that I would be ok with medical intervention. However, my parents disagreed and decided it was time to find a new neurologist.

In 1996, my parents had switched neurologist from CHOP to Penn State Hershey Milton S. Medical Center. The doctors at Hershey were delighted to have me as a patient and took my medical condition serious.  As the new neurologist learned more about me, they assumed that the medication changes, adolescent developmental, hormonal and maturational changes had some affects on the seizures presenting at this time as well as my ability to learn and attain information. Also, due to the heavy amounts of medication load I was on, I occasionally have toxicity symptoms, which included nausea, vomiting, vertigo and dry mouth that required occasional trips to the hospital.

At this point in my life, my mom had to start documenting the kinds of seizures I had and the frequency of these seizures for my physicians. My parents also asked my teachers to keep track of any seizure activity that might occur as well, but since the teachers were so comfortable with my seizures they would forget to give my parents this information.